Lee Johnson was sacked as the Black Cats boss after a 6-0 thumping at the hands of Bolton Wanderers last week, which cast doubt on the club’s League One promotion ambitions.
Former manager Keane has emerged as one of the names being considered for the job with his first spell already having resulted in a promotion for the Black Cats.
Bennett thinks Keane is particularly well-equipped to deal with the squad and thus can draw a reaction from them, even if he has to deal with them harshly on occasions.
Speaking to Chronicle Live, Bennett said: “If anyone can get a reaction from a group of players, it will be Roy.
“It’s what we need at the moment, something to give the fans a lift and the team a kick up the backside.
“When Roy came here last time, it created a massive stir throughout football, and I think it would do so again.”
The Black Cats legend believes that Keane will feel the need to take care of unfinished business at the Stadium of Light and he can help the team overcome their lack of consistency.
“I think he will feel he has some unfinished business here”, Bennett added.
“Sunderland need to get on a run but from what we’ve seen, they get on a run then fall off again, then get on a run again.
“They’ve been missing consistency and hopefully he could put that right.”
The Black Cats are currently third in the League One table, five points off the top of the table whilst also playing more matches than the teams above them.
It remains to be seen if Keane will take the post at the Stadium of Light in the coming days.
